ORIGIN

1963 Porsche 356B

This 1963 356B recently sold here on eBay for $28k, and is now re-listed 700 miles to the north here on eBay in Olympia, Washington – this time with a $32k BIN. It seemed like a steal the first time around, and still an interesting buy at four grand more, even if it is described by the seller as a “ten-footer.”

@KGB I thought the same thing. The first thing that came to mind was the bushings in the beam. I admit my ignorance on the Porsche version but Volkswagen used micarta bushings exclusively until about mid ’60 at which point it replaced the outer bushings with roller bearings and changed the trailing-arm OD. Maybe Porsche kept the micarta design. It wouldn’t be unprecedented; the company kept an engine based largely on the 36-horse Volkswagen through the first 912! Having to replace beam bushings is a not-so-great sign. It indicates neglect. Then again maybe the seller was thinking of link-pin bushings. Hopefully at least.

The only thing I could think of for ball joints were the tie-rod ends.

Whatever the case, I chalked all of it up to basic ignorance of at least the terminology.

Varjak, I’ve resided under 356s on occasion, and I recall no “several control arm bushings”. Ball joints were fairly scarce as well. I’d like to hear from the fellow who bought this, it must handle quite strangely.

My Fjord green 356 is 1957. My car was originally red , I had all period colors to choose from. Red is to common on 356 . My car is a GT style with bucket seats, louvered deck lid fuel filler from the hood and hot 912 motor. I am not a purist ,and don’t care much about keeping is the way it’s left the Porsche factory.

Green looks good on this car, and they can be a lot of fun. The engine seal is missing, and I bet I know why. You can’t install the seal if the channel is rusted away. If I had one of these, I would wish for some way to disguise it so I can just have fun with out the critiques. Oh wait, that’s what Karmann Ghias are for! Lol

I saw this at in person when it was on eBay the first go-round. The car was on a lift at the time so I was able to perform a reasonable inspection. In my opinion the car was significantly worse than it was described due to prior damage, undisclosed rust issues, and general shoddy repair work. A definite pass.

I saw this at in person when it was on eBay the first go-round. The car was on a lift at the time so I was able to perform a reasonable inspection. In my opinion the car was significantly worse than it was described, a definite pass due to prior damage, undisclosed rust issues, and general shoddy repair work. A definite pass.

Green is not my favorite car color. Only one in 27 for me. But that one was a beautiful Zambezi green 914 2.0. A gas to drive, easy on the wallet and I loved the removable top. I still see it around every year or two and it always brings a smile to my face.

356s workable by home mechanics? Hah, they weren’t workable by most of the shops shops that hung out a Porsche shingle! No, if you were able to properly recondition a 356 engine or trans, you were quite a bit more than a “home mechanic”. 912s are easier to fix than 356s, more room to get at things and a much simpler front end.

I hope it isn’t related, but there is a notorious sleazy Porsche flipper here in Olympia, he has several lawsuits against him. The comment about the car being bought, rust found, and then sold on rings very true if this is the case. If anyone is buying any early Porsche 911s out of southern WA state, be very careful…

Billy – I wish you’d say what you really think about 356s and the others that you’ve known and loved – or not. :-)

They were a hellofalot more fun to drive on bumpy, snowy twisties when newish than anything else I tried. Started at 20 below and in the rain, and didn’t break. Were the 911s and 912s better when they came out? You bet! Still workable by a home mechanic? Not so much. And the current relic, an ’88 Carrera – yah, I know it’s a better car – is nowhere near as much fun to drive. I usually choose our 195,000 mile B4 Passat Diesel wagon instead.

I notice that the “related stories”, rather than being Porsches, or even German cars, are, with one exception (the Opel), Green.

I wasn’t going to make this comment – but I’m interested that the “green” thing is even an issue… I mean – if I ever have the good fortune to purchase a Series 1 E Type, I’m going to be looking for a British racing green car with biscuit interior…

The issue with green cars is a superstition – nothing more or less, and like most superstitions, they feed on themselves and gain a sort of respectability through familiarity. I’m sure that there are a slew of different reasons why people think green cars are bad luck but I’d suggest that it began in 1911, and interestingly this happened in Syracuse, New York (which may explain why Americans are more prone to this superstition), when Lee Oldfield, driving a Green Knox Racer, had a tyre blow and his car speared into the crowd, killing 11 people and injuring 10. Oldfield was thrown free and survived with minor scrapes and bruises.

Then, in 1920, Gaston Chevrolet (yes – THAT Chevrolet) died in an accident when his green Monroe-Frontenac crashed into Eddie O’Donnell’s Dusenberg at the Beverly Hills Board track. Chevrolet was killed as were O’Donnell and his riding mechanic, Lyall Jolls.

I’d submit that that is more than enough to establish the “green” problem, but if you want to stretch it you could easily argue that the Le mans disaster in 1955 was ultimately caused by a green car (Mike Hawthorne’s D Type), though of course Pierre Levegh in his Mercedes and the spectators bore the brunt of it…

Me? I drive a 1971 Mercedes 220, and I think it looks stunning in what the Germans describe as “dunkl olive” with a cognac interior. Dunkl olive looks to me like British racing green (though I don’t mention that at the Mercedes club) , and I think it looks stunning.

If people are put off by green cars, I suppose I should be thankful – I love a good green, (preferably dark) on a car – and the less people who agree with me, the less competition I’ll have when bidding… :-)

As Kermit once famously said, “it’s not easy being green.” I love my agave green ’73 2002 and – no – my other cars aren’t also green. A couple of years ago I saw a Porsche Gt3 painted in green that is forever seared in mine – simply amazing. Kermit was right about green.

This 356 looks like a fun driver that needs a proper PPI to inspire any confidence.

General rant, this seller not involved. WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH PEOPLE WHO CANNOT ANSWER MORE THAN ONE SIMPLE QUESTION ON EBAY AND OFTEN NOT CORRECTLY AT THAT???!!! I mean really, given that there is no deadline for completion, you would think that most people could read 2 or 3 questions and come up with answers to them all, even “I don’t know” would be acceptable. Example; Question to seller – Interested in your car, how long could it stay there after payment in full? Do you have a title in your name, not an open title? Could you please send me some photos of the underside? Answer to your question – When would you be picking it up? It’s a good thing that there isn’t a “Please slap recipient to attention” button on Ask a Question.

@ Pete C: The ebay seller you refer to as ‘suburban stuff’ is – if I am not mistaken – Douglas Berry from Dusty Cars. He is one if not the best vintage car hunter/trader on the West Coast. Look at the cars he sells over the long run. Always great finds, honestly presented, and fairly priced.

As a 356 fan and owner I wish more people did not like them. Please convince more people that 356s are not fun to drive, a disaster to restore and to own, etc. Then maybe prices will stop skyrocketing and I may buy a second one, and a third, etc….and keep having no fun like crazy!

I worked my way out of an addiction to 356 Porsches cold turkey when the last one I had burned in the California, desert. I tried 356 methadone a little before that with a couple of 912s, which were a far superior car. So not having a 356 after 35 years of different models was not that difficult to walk away from. Although I did sometimes miss the looks when I had my Pre A Speedster (81116), from people who knew I was driving a $100,000 car. Felt good to me because I shelled out $1,200 for that little gem.

I applied my cost benefit ratio to the Notchback’s insurance payout and bought a Suzuki Swift Gti, 1300,needing no work and no rust repair. Scabby clear coat on the hood was soon obliterated by a careful rattle can job, in flat black. Cost me $1,400. Front wheel drive, I grant you, but at under 1750 lbs and 115 smooth reliable fuel injected horses, 4 wheel disc brakes, extra decent suspension, and Recaro knock-off seats, it would do a lap and a half to one, for the 356 Super Bustleback.

Cost benefit ratio does not include snob appeal, or respect from people afflicted by it. Losing the acrid smell that identifies the living rooms of most 356 Porsches, is.

@autoholic – Thanks. And we’d love to cover more events out East. Please send a note or two to your local event organizers and tell them they are crazy not to have BaT on-site with a corral of local cars for sale. It worked very well at the Portland Historics!

@lyttonvintage and BAT- that was an old quote borrowed from a member of the early 911S registry. i thought a little color controversy might deflect some of the usual the p-car hate comments and get some color love going instead. i like green cars, though i don’t own one… yet. i wouldn’t mind a bullitt mustang, but my ideal would be an irish green early S. yes, i am a p-car lover and proud of it.

@JBriscoe – where have I been, never knew of these coupe replica’s! I’ve always liked that about my coupe: that they were not available as a kit, guess that has changed. I must say the kit looks pretty good and a great platform for Outlaw, I’d have to agree that it looks pretty dang nice for under 30K.

@BaT, agree as usual with your comments, not to mention taste in cars. Hope to see you guys cover something out East some time, maybe Limerock?

Speaking of green, I suddenly realize I’ve owned a fair amount green and still do. I had original paint VW 55 and 57 standards both in palm green/sand green – one of the best color combinations for early buses. I now have a 53 power wagon and 38 GMC in green on black and a dark teal all-orginal 66 charger with a 383 and suregrip rearend. Gotta go with BAT on this one:http://www.photoshop.com/users/lyttonvintage

JPS Motorsports in L.A. makes nice coupe replicas. About $30k now complete. I struggle with these older ones that have not been well taken care of. A friend bought one and it is ROUGH. And although you say “Just throw on a tune, some rust inhibitor and drive on dry days and your good to go.” the truth is if the body is rough the engine will be as rough and it will nickel and sawbuck you to death. Unless you have a some $$ to throw at it and I love to see any old car preserved the replica route might be a way to go. This is a tough call.

I guess suburbanstuff (the second—or third? or fourth?—owner-flipper) might have something to say about that.

OTOH, flippers probably stick together and he will completely understand why he was left out of the car’s history.

I saw a California B just like this but slightly tatty—maybe this car pre-clean up—sell on eBay for around $7K a year or two before Wall St/Canary Wharf destroyed all that wealth, but passed. Stupid. This would have been about the best possible investment, even if it is green.

Nice shade of green. Looks like you could daily drive it in good weather and not worry too much. The value of these cars amazes me, but what do I know about old Porsches? Not much.

There was a company at the Carlisle Import and Kit Car Show a couple of years ago displaying really nicely made turnkey replicas for about $20k of this bodystyle — the later coupe, not the more common Speedster replica. If I had the cash and were looking for one of these to daily drive I’d go that route.

Not a whole lot of money for even a Normal provided you were content to just fix the floors and use it, in which case it would make an excellent driver. Floors are easy work.

The missing engine-compartment seal is disconcerting and surprises me that the seller didn’t invest the few hours to yank the engine to install it just for marketing reasons.

Resprays don’t inspire confidence, especially when the car’s bubbling and the rockers look wavy. The hood fit isn’t great and the apron is lumpy. This car got poked in the nose. Keep it in a dry garage and it won’t rust any more to cause concerns.

I say throw an engine-compartment seal in it, give it a good tune (that brown cap and those red-boot wires are ancient!), and beg Gary Emory to do the campout next year so you can show it off there.